Van/rv lay-flat sofa-bed and method of use

ABSTRACT

An adjustable sofa-bed assembly for use within a vehicle such as a van or RV. The sofa-bed includes a seat portion, a back portion, and either a permanently fixed base or a removable leg portion which allows the legs to be installed into the vehicle prior to installing the seat and back portions to allow for additional elements to be installed beneath the sofa-bed, such as power elements for a powered sofa-bed assembly or for other equipment. The sofa-bed can be transformed from a sofa configuration with an upright back portion to a bed configuration with a laid-flat back portion. When in the bed configuration, the seat portion and back portion are aligned such that there is no gap between the two portions and the two portions lie completely flat, forming a complete bed assembly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/778,403 Filed Jan. 31, 2020, which is a continuation of and claims priority in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/115,702 Filed Aug. 29, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,556,524 Issued Feb. 11, 2020, all which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a retractable sofa-bed and method for use thereof, and more specifically to a sofa-bed for mounting into a vehicle, its methods of installation and its methods of use.

2. Description of the Related Art

Luxury vans and recreational vehicles are often outfitted with sofas which can be transferred into beds for sleeping while traveling. Unfortunately, these sofas are rarely the most comfortable place to sleep on when converted into the bed. The conventional sofa-bed leaves a gap between the seat cushion and the back cushion when converted into the bed, and they produce a subtle “v” shape, not lying entirely flat. What is needed is an improved sofa-bed assembly for vehicles which removes the gap between the cushions and provides a completely lay-flat orientation in bed form.

Heretofore there has not been available a system or method for a sofa-bed for vehicles with the advantages and features of the present invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally provides an adjustable sofa-bed assembly for use within a vehicle. The sofa-bed includes a seat portion, a back portion, and a base. The base may be permanently mounted to the vehicle or may include a removable leg portion which allows the legs to be installed into the vehicle prior to installing the seat and back portions to allow for additional elements to be installed beneath the sofa-bed, such as power elements for a powered sofa-bed assembly or for other equipment.

The sofa-bed can be transformed from a sofa configuration with an upright back portion to a bed configuration with a laid-flat back portion. When in the bed configuration, the seat portion and back portion are aligned such that there is no gap between the two portions and the two portions lie completely flat, forming a complete bed assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrating various objects and features thereof.

FIG. 1 is three-dimensional isometric view of a preferred embodiment sofa-bed assembly in a first, sofa configuration.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a partially-exploded three-dimensional isometric view thereof shown in a second, bed configuration.

FIG. 4 is an additional exploded three-dimensional isometric view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the bed configuration thereof.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional isometric view of a leg assembly element thereof.

FIG. 9 is a detailed, partially-exploded isometric view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional view of a system incorporating the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in combination with a side-facing sliding seat assemblies installed within a van.

FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional view thereof shown in an extended and flattened orientation.

FIG. 12 is a three-dimensional of an alternative embodiment vehicle with seating system wherein two facing sofas are each placed in a first, sofa configuration.

FIG. 13 is a three-dimensional view thereof, shown in a second, lay-flat bed configuration formed by the two facing sofas.

FIG. 14 is a rear elevational view of the orientation of FIG. 12 .

FIG. 15 is a rear elevational view of the orientation of FIG. 13 .

FIG. 16 is a three-dimensional view of a slightly alternative embodiment vehicle with seating system showing tow facing sofas of FIG. 12 and a frontward-facing sofa of FIG. 1 , wherein each sofa is in a first, sofa orientation.

FIG. 17 is a three-dimensional view thereof, shown in a second, lay-flat bed orientation where the three sofas forma congruous flat surface.

FIG. 18 is another three-dimensional view of another slightly alternative embodiment vehicle with seating system where the two facing seats of FIG. 12 are turned ninety degrees and are each shown in a sofa orientation.

FIG. 19 is a three-dimensional view thereof shown in a lay-flat bed orientation forming a congruous surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

I. Introduction and Environment

As required, detailed aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up, down, front, back, right and left refer to the invention as orientated in the view being referred to. The words, “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the aspect being described and designated parts thereof. Forwardly and rearwardly are generally in reference to the direction of travel, if appropriate. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning.

II. Preferred Embodiment Sofa-Bed Assembly 2

As shown in the figures, the present invention provides a sofa-bed assembly 2 which can be transformed from a sofa-configuration as shown in FIG. 1 to a bed-configuration as shown in FIG. 3 . The sofa-bed assembly 2 generally includes a rear portion 4, a seat portion 6, and a leg assembly 12. The leg assembly 12 allows for the legs 22 to be bolted to the floor of the vehicle, while the rear 4 and seat 6 portions are removed, to allow for additional elements to be installed or stored beneath the sofa-bed assembly and then the rear 4 and seat 6 portions reinstalled. The legs 22 may also mount to the wheel well assembly of the vehicle. The leg assembly 12 could also be replaced with a static base element which is permanently affixed to the seat portion 6 and rear portion 4.

The rear cushion 8 connects to the leg assembly 12 via a pair of scissor arms 14 which allow the rear portion to be transformed from an upright sofa configuration to a laid-flat bed configuration. Similarly, the seat portion 6 is mounted to a slide 16 which allows the seat portion to slide forward as the rear portion is dropped down into the bed configuration.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show how a seat support structure 20 and rear support structure 18 are placed between the seat cushion 10 and rear cushion 8, respectfully, and the leg assembly 12. A receiver plate 26 on the rear support structure 18 is connected to a receiver plate 24 on the scissor arms 14. Similarly, a receiver plate 30 of the seat support structure 20 is connected to a receiver plate 28 on the top of the slide 16.

FIG. 6 shows how when the rear portion 4 is folded down and the seat portion 6 is slid forward on the slide 16, the two form a flat surface with little to no gap between the cushions 8, 10, as indicated in FIG. 6 by element 9. The seat cushion 10 is of thickness T1, whereas the rear cushion 8 is of thickness T2 to account for the location of the cushions when in the bed configuration. The scissor arms 14 are placed high enough on the frame such that mechanically it is still able to move the rear portion 4 back into its upright orientation. Because the scissor arm must mechanically be placed in such an orientation, the two cushions must be of different thicknesses to facilitate the lay-flat orientation in the laid-flat bed configuration.

In an alternative construction, the two cushions 8, 10 could be of the same thickness, with a thicker base element placed underneath of the seat cushion 10 to raise it to a flush orientation with the rear cushion 8 when in a laid-flat orientation.

FIG. 9 shows how the legs 22 are connected to the rest of the leg assembly 12 by connecting cross bars 34 to the legs 22 using corner brackets 36.

The entire sofa-bed assembly 2 could be transformed from the first, sofa configuration to the second, bed configuration using manual controls or via a powered control. The sofa-bed could be connected to the power of the vehicle and a switch or other controls could be used to mechanically transform the sofa-bed between configurations. The motor 32 shown in the figures in a first orientation, such as in FIG. 6 , and a second orientation, such as in FIG. 8 , controls the physical movement of the sofa-bed when transforming between configurations. A power source 40 which is activated by a switch or control 42 would signal the motor to move the pieces of the sofa-bed assembly 2. The motor 32 could be placed in any orientation to allow for installation of elements beneath the sofa-bed assembly 2.

The leg assembly 12 is completely adjustable to be installed within a vehicle. The height and width of the leg assembly 12 can be adjusted as needed to accommodate the vehicle and/or the bed. When being installed into the vehicle, the frame can be adjusted to fit the width and height needed for the vehicle and to accept sofa bed assemblies of various sizes. FIG. 9 shows how the cross bars 34 and legs 22 can be removed. These elements can either be replaced with longer or shorter elements to adjust the size of the leg assembly 12, or they could be slidably adjustable with locking elements to allow for customizable lengths as desired.

III. Alternative Embodiment Vehicle Seating System 102

FIGS. 10-11 show a vehicle seating system 102 installed within a van 104 or RV, which includes the sofa-bed assembly 2 discussed above in combination with a pair of side-facing sliding seats 106, 108. As shown in FIG. 11 , when the sofa-bed assembly is transformed into its laid-flat orientation with the rear 8 and seat 10 cushions forming a completely flush laying surface, the sliding seats 106, 108 are also extended to create an even larger sleeping surface.

The sliding seats 106, 108 include sliding cushions 112, 116 which extend outward from the first, seating orientation. A number of modular cushions 114, 118, and 120 may then be inserted behind the sliding cushions 112, 116 to fill in the gaps left by the sliding cushions to create a completely flush, extended sleeping surface in combination with the sofa-bed assembly 2. The sliding seats 106, 108 may be installed over the wheel wells 110 of the vehicle 104, or may be installed on the top of cabinets or other structures within the vehicle. The sliding seats 106, 108 as shown correspondent to a driver's side side-facing sliding seat 106 and a passenger's side side-facing sliding seat 108 which differ slightly in form because the vehicle shown as an example in FIGS. 10-11 requires sliding seats of slightly different shape. However, both sliding seats could be identically shaped.

IV. Alternative Embodiment Vehicle Seating System 202

FIGS. 12-14 show an alternative embodiment vehicle seating system 202 where two sofas 206, 208 face one another. Each of these sofas function identically to the embodiment 2 above, however the frames, cushions, and internal components have been shrunken for the smaller furniture here. These changes allow for a zero-clearance requirement between the rear of the sofa and the wall of the vehicle 204. FIG. 12 shows where the first 206 and second 208 sofa are each placed in an upright, sofa configuration. The first sofa 206 includes a rear cushion 212 and a seat cushion 214 which sit atop a base structure 220 identical to that described in relation to embodiment 2 above. The second sofa 208 similarly includes a rear cushion 216 and seat cushion 218.

FIG. 13 shows these two sofas 206, 208 shown in a completely lay-flat orientation in the manner described above in relation to embodiment 2. The two seat cushions 214, 218 contact each other at a central point along the center axis of the vehicle 204, thereby forming a congruous sleeping surface that is lay-flat formed by the four cushions 212, 214, 216, 218.

FIG. 14 shows a rear elevational view of what is shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 15 similarly shows a rear elevational view of FIG. 13 . As shown here, the upright orientation of the rear cushions 212, 216

As shown in FIG. 15 , when laid-flat, the rear cushions 212, 216 are flush against the wall as well. When the sofas 206, 208 are transformed from the sofa configuration to the lay-flat orientation, there is no clearance requirement between the rear cushions 212, 216 and the wall of the vehicle 204. This requires the frame to be adjusted forward compared with their default alignment.

These sofas 206, 208 would be useable with a dinette in typical vans or recreational vehicles, including Class A, C, and Travel Trailer RVs. A motorized dinette could be repositioned out of the way of the two sofas when in the lay-flat orientation, and raised or otherwise positioned when the two sofas are in the upright, sofa orientation.

V. Alternative Embodiment Vehicle Seating System 252

FIG. 16 shows another alternative vehicle seating system 252 incorporating the seating system 202, above, including first sofa 206 and second sofa 208, combined with the original sofa of embodiment 2 above. Here, the first sofa 206, second sofa 208, and original sofa 2 are all shown in an upright, sofa orientation. FIG. 17 , on the other hand, shows the first sofa 206, second sofa 208, and original sofa 2 in a completely lay-flat orientation, whereby all of the relevant cushions 4, 6, 212, 214, 216, 218 form the sleeping surface. The front edge of the seat cushion 6 contacts the edge of the seat and rear cushions 212, 214, 216, 218 of sofas 206, 208.

VI. Alternative Embodiment Vehicle Seating System 302

FIG. 18 shows an alternative seating system 302 wherein the two sofas 206, 208 of FIG. 12 are shown turned ninety degrees. Here they are again shown in an upright sofa configuration. FIG. 19 shows the seating system including this alternative orientation in a lay-flat bed orientation similar to FIG. 13 .

It is to be understood that while certain embodiments and/or aspects of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects. 

1. A sofa-bed assembly for a vehicle, the sofa-bed assembly comprising: a first sofa-bed and a second sofa bed, each of said first and second sofa-beds comprising, respectively: a base assembly affixed to a support structure; said support structure connected to a seat cushion and a rear cushion; said support structure comprising a sofa-seat support structure configured to support said sofa cushion, and a rear-seat support structure configured to support said rear cushion; said sofa-seat support structure connected to a slide element of said leg assembly; said rear-seat support structure connected to a scissor-arm element of said leg assembly; wherein each of said first and second sofa-beds being transformable between a first, sofa configuration and a second, bed configuration, wherein when in said second, bed configuration said seat cushion and said rear cushion of said first sofa-bed are placed adjacent in a laid-flat configuration, and said seat cushion and said rear cushion of said second sofa-bed are placed adjacent in a laid-flat configuration; and wherein said seat cushion of said first sofa-bed and said seat cushion of said second sofa-bed are placed adjacent thereby forming a congruous laid-flat surface between said first sofa-bed and said second sofa-bed.
 2. The sofa-bed assembly of claim 1, further comprising: said scissor arm assembly comprising a top plate affixed to a bottom face of said rear-seat support structure; and said scissor arm assembly top plate located at a vertical height relative to said sofa-seat support structure such that said top place is above said sofa-seat support structure when said sofa-bed assembly is in said second, bed configuration.
 3. The sofa-bed assembly of claim 2, further comprising: a motor affixed to said support structure; said motor configured to activate said scissor arm, thereby sliding said slide element; and said motor further configured to automatically transform said sofa-bed assembly between said first, sofa configuration and said second, bed configuration.
 4. The sofa-bed assembly of claim 1, further comprising: said sofa cushion comprising a thickness of T1; said rear cushion comprising a thickness of T2; said thickness T1 being greater than thickness T2 such that a top face of said sofa cushion and a top face of said rear cushion form a level, flat, and aligned surface when said sofa-bed assembly is in said second, bed configuration; and wherein said sofa cushion and said rear cushion are immediately adjacent to one another in said second, bed configuration.
 5. The sofa-bed assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a third sofa-bed comprising a base assembly affixed to a support structure, said support structure connected to a seat cushion and a rear cushion, said support structure comprising a sofa-seat support structure configured to support said sofa cushion, and a rear-seat support structure configured to support said rear cushion, said sofa-seat support structure connected to a slide element of said leg assembly, and said rear-seat support structure connected to a scissor-arm element of said leg assembly; said third sofa-bed oriented ninety degrees with respect to said first and second sofa-beds; said third sofa-bed being transformable between a first, sofa configuration and a second, bed configuration, wherein when in said second, bed configuration said seat cushion and said rear cushion of said third sofa-bed are placed adjacent in a laid-flat configuration; and wherein said seat cushion of said third sofa-bed and said seat cushions and rear cushions of said first and second sofa-beds are placed adjacent thereby forming a congruous laid-flat surface between said first sofa-bed, said second sofa-bed, and said third sofa-bed. 